Joseph movie review: Joju is at his best in this crime thriller
Cast: Joju George, Dileesh Pothan, Irshad, Sudhi Koppa
Director: M. Padmakumar
Crime thriller is a genre that takes a lot of effort to win audience’s hearts. The way it is executed can easily make or break the spine of the film. Without doubt, Malayalam cinema has produced some great crime/investigative thrillers over the years. Joseph, the new release directed by M.Padmakumar, will definitely go a long way up on the list of successful films of the genre.
It displays intensity, suspense, high level of anticipation, uncertainty, anxiety and some superb performances. Subtlety is one key factor that separates good movies from others, and it is proved once again.
Joseph, played by Joju George, is a retired police officer, but he is still ready to help whenever he is asked by his senior officers. He hardly enjoys his retired life. Then his ex-wife dies in a car accident. Joseph and his friends, who are also retired police officers, go after the incident to prove that Joseph’s wife was killed. His unofficial investigation unearths horrors behind the case, thus turning the movie more and more intense.
One can attribute the success of this film to many factors - directorial brilliance of Padmakumar, editing skills of Kiran Das, Renjin Raj’s beautiful compositions, scriptwriting of Shahi Kabeer and Maneesh Madhavan’s beautiful cinematography, but nothing can beat the brilliance of acting in Joseph.
Joju George is a proved actor. He has proved his mettle in movies like Ramante Edanthottam and Pullipulikalum Aattinkuttiyum, showcasing his flexibility and easiness in acting. Previous to Joseph, people had seen him in khaki in Action Hero Biju. But Joseph is huge. The complexity of the character would easily force the viewers to stop laughing at Mini’s jokes and start applauding for Joseph’s aplomb. Without any doubt, this is Joju at his best and is one of the best on-screen performance of the year.
The supporting cast including Irshad, Dileesh Pothan, Sudhi Koppa and Athmeya fits perfectly in the loop and portrays their roles well. The subtlety, anxiety, uncertainty, intensity and sheer acting performance makes Joseph a must watch.
